The China Incident [of 1937 onwards] has resulted in massive loss of life through the mutual killing of neighboring friends. This is the greatest tragedy of the last one thousand years. Nevertheless this is a holy war to save the peoples of East Asia.... Invoking the power of Avalokitesvara, I pray for the bright future of East Asia.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker acknowledges the tragedy of the war but frames it as a holy mission to save East Asia, invoking religious imagery.
- In plain terms
- He sees the war as a tragic but holy mission to save Asia.
- What can you take from it?
- Catastrophic events are sometimes rationalized as necessary for a greater good.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can a war be both tragic and holy?
- How do leaders justify mass suffering?
Another view
It attempts to moralize a conflict that caused massive loss of life.
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